Pretty Please, with Potatoes on Top?

Long gone are the days of carb-fearing, Atkins-style grain avoidance, but deep within the American psyche, some subconscious resistance still seems to remain. Just mention a meal combining two starches and even the most well-grounded eaters lose their composure, if only for a moment. Rice and corn? Iffy, but passable. Bread and potatoes? Not unless you want the health food police to arrive on your doorstep, handcuffs ready to snap shut over the guilty cook. And yet, it’s perfectly fine for potatoes to be integrated into the bread, but should they separate, it’s a downright culinary crime. Enough of this nonsense, I say; Let loose, have your bread and potatoes together, and eat them, too!

Truly, it’s a damned shame that this traditional “wisdom” has kept the two apart for so long. Since Thanksgiving is essentially the biggest carbohydrate-bomb of a meal one will consume this year, it seemed the perfect opportunity to sneak this underdog dish in. Rather than serving two individual courses to satisfy the need for both tuber and grain, save yourself the trouble and time with a single side. Magical things happen when you top a chewy loaf of focaccia with thin slices of golden-fleshed potatoes and a handful of red onions. Crispy and golden brown around the edges but still tender on the inside, the sheath of potatoes creates a topper that sets an otherwise simple flat bread apart from the rest.

There is a secret ingredient, however, kneaded deep within the strands of gluten. Sauerkraut brightens up the flavors of the wheat with a much-needed hit of acid, those tangy notes perfectly in tune with the heartier starches. You might even be able to get away with saying that a slice packs in a serving of vegetables in, too!

The day or night before hand, mix together all of the ingredients for the starter in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and leave out in a warm place at least overnight, or for 8 – 24 hours. The longer amount of time is better for developing flavor in the bread, but a minimum of 8 hours with certainly suffice.

Once the starter has sat for as much time as you’re willing to give it, start working on the main dough by combining the flours. Take your drained sauerkraut, squeeze out as much extra liquid as possible, and toss it in the flour to coat. Add this mixture, along with the remaining dough ingredients into the bowl of starter. Mix thoroughly, and install the bread hook attachment in your stand mixer once the dough has come together. Allow the machine to knead on a slow speed for about 10 minutes. This makes for a fairly loose, sticky dough, so don’t panic if it seems fairly wet.

Transfer the dough into a lightly-grease, clean bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Punch down the risen dough gently, and scrape it out onto your prepared pan. Use your finger tips to press it out evenly into the jellyroll shape, leaving nooks and crannies as you go. Set aside while you prepare the topping.

A mandoline will make the process go faster, but you can also use a very sharp knife (and a decent dose of patience). Slice the potatoes to approximately 2 mm in thickness, and then slice the onions just slightly thicker since they will cook faster. Toss both in the olive oil until thoroughly coated, and apply the topping in an even layer over the unbaked focaccia, trying not to overlap slices of potatoes. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Slide your loaf into the oven, and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until golden brown all over, the potatoes are fork-tender, and the onions are slightly crispy around the edges. Let cool before slicing.

I was just reading about the “Skinny Bitch” take on the Atkins Diet, which was quite entertaining. I’ve always thought it was a load of crap. As long as your eating whole foods and whole grains, feast away on some carbs. Love that this recipe uses rye. Sounds delish!

HA take that carb fearers!
I’m with you! carbs are supposed to make up most of our diet, so as long as we have our veggies/proteins/healthy fats with our carby amazingness, whats the problem? Looks amazing, as always <3

This post reminds me of dinner with my dad – whenever we had mashed potatoes, he would spread a layer of the mashed potato onto a piece of bread and we would all be so disgusted! I like your version of potatoes on bread better than my dad’s version, though! :)

It looks like a perfect brunch treat. I have no problem combining potatoes and bread (home fries and toast?). I even admit to maybe, possibly adding french fries to a sandwich. (No more than once or twice, of course.) :D And the sauerkraut is very appealing.

Sadly, I’ve never had a potato pizza/flatbread, but that’s simply because of my mum’s wheat allergies than fear of the carb police! I’m still too scared of yeast to make this, but you’ve inspired me to make that other tried-and-true carb combo – pasta genovese, with potatoes and pasta :)

You know, normally I’m not a big carb mixer, either – probably because I’m used to cooking for my gluten-free mom – but this looks pretty darn good, especially with those onions on top. I’d still feel the need to have a big side of veggies to make up for it, but I love having lots of veggies at Thanksgiving. Bring on the beans and squash!!!

i love this idea. potatoes on pizza is de rigeur at this house but cutting out everything extraneous to the bread and the potatoes definitely appeals. such a delicious way to break the rules. plus sauerkraut, it can’t get better than that!

This bread is so creative Hannah! I would have never thought to do slivers of potato atop foccacia, but why not! I’m thinking a version with caramelized onions and a little rosemary would also be fantastically delicious.

Sauerkraut in the dough, wow! Sounds really tasty! Great comfort food, I really love potatoes sliced and lightly fried in this way. This would be great served with soup instead of the all-too-often cornbread. :)

Love the sauerkraut in the dough!!!!!!! We love our fermented foods :) We usually eat it on top of things but now inside – amazing!! Though I did make sauerkraut crackers before that turned out great so having it in focaccia is even better!!! Thanks!!! :)
~Lori